Saudi Arabia blasts U.N. Security Council, rejects offer to join

Story highlights

The U.N. Security Council is hampered by a double standard, the Saudi kingdom alleges

The Saudi government says the council has failed the Middle East

It says the council mishandled Palestinian suffering and the Syrian civil war

The U.N. Security Council is riddled with double standards and has failed the Middle East, Saudi Arabia said Friday as it rejected an offer to join the body.

The kingdom claims that the council is incapable of keeping the peace internationally, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement published by the state news agency SPA.

"To have the Palestinian cause remaining without a fair and permanent solution for 65 years, which resulted in several wars that threatened international peace and security, is evidence and proof of (the) Security Council's inability to perform his duties and responsibilities," the ministry said.

It also blamed the Security Council for not preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction in the region -- especially nuclear weapons, a likely allusion to Saudi Arabia's adversarial neighbor Iran.